Yellow Jacket

[BettSue 7]

Hello all,
I am a new beekeeper this year (one hive).
Last week on the advice of a seasoned beekeeper I reduced my honey supers from 3 to 1. Really a half of one because I added a feeder in the other half because myy bees had very littlle honey. I have more bees than ever so I am pretty sure that the queen is active.

This evening while at the store my husband called to tell me that my bees were swarming he said they were flying around more than normal.

There was a heavy downpour before I could finally get home. I have more than usual dead bees than ever before in addition to a single dead yellow jacket. The tongues of every bee that I picked up was sticking out.

I lit the smoker, refilled the empty feeder and only went as far are lifting the queen excluder. There are plenty of bees. I do not believe that they swarmed but added another super to be on the safe side.

any thoughts?

BettSue 7

[magista]

The flying around is most likely house bees heading outside the hive and doing their first orientation flights. It'll look chaotic but generally this is what it is. Almost every day at around 4:30 or 5 pm my bees do this. After a bit everything goes back to normal.

The dead bees I find around the entrance usually have tongues hanging out. I think it's just a dead bee thing and the yellow jacket might have attempted to storm the hive entrance and was met with the stings of the guard bees; it paid the price for its insolence.

I could be wrong though so perhaps some other beeks will chime in.

[Ardilla]

Probably a mass orientation flight. But what caught my eye was that you are feeding the hive with supers on. That is generally counter productive. If you have a feeder on you shouldn't have supers on.

[Rohe Bee Ranch]

Probably a mass orientation flight. But what caught my eye was that you are feeding the hive with supers on. That is generally counter productive. If you have a feeder on you shouldn't have supers on.


I agree.

[Tom G. Laury]

BettSue said she has lots of bees but little honey. Feeding is definitely in order. Probably Italians.

[BettSue 7]

Ok ok
The supers come off
I appreciate the advice.
I will not be selling any honey this year. just want them to start getting ready for the winter.